The truth about a complex built for veterans and the middle class and how it has evolved through the years to become one of the more interesting and controversial of New York stories.

Comment Policy

All comments to posts have to await approval. Please be aware that, depending on when I'm logged onto the internet, it may take me hours, even longer, to moderate comments, so if they don't turn up in a speedy fashion, they are still in the queue. Comments that cross a line I'm not comfortable with will not get approved.

NOTE: Comments reflect the opinions of the person writing them and should not be assumed to reflect the opinion of the blog. Because of the anonymous nature of the commentary, specific agendas can be pushed by a sole individual and may not reflect a more popular belief by the residents of this community.

Friday, February 17, 2012

Can We Now Say that Stuy Town is a Dorm?

According to Wikipedia, Stuyvesant Town has 8,757 apartments. Together with Peter Cooper Village, the complex has 11,250 apartments. Zeroing in on Stuy Town, we now find out the following: that close to 2,000 apartments are/will be available via MyStudentApartment.com. These are apartments that are NOT part of the lease system from schools like NYU. If PCV is not included in the 2,000 student apartment figure, that means, taking into account apartments made available directly to schools, and other means of rental access, that we may be seeing at least 1/4 of Stuy Town apartments filled with college students.

While this should come as no surprise, considering all the seasonal moving trucks and discarded furniture we see in Stuy Town, the college crowds at the rental office, and the piles of pizza boxes tipping over in the recycling area, it is rather astounding to consider that Stuyvesant Town may have more college students as renters than Stuy Town residents who are members of the TA. The college population carries a heaving burden on the maintenance here and presents quality of life issues we are already familiar with. Importantly, the more student renters we have, the less we have of a more permanent body of tenants who are interested in the future of this complex. Whatever landlord owns this place gains by a student population in a speedier turnover of apartments and a decrease in the pool of a Tenants Association population. How this all translates into a condo/co-op conversion remains to be seen.

103 comments:

Anonymous
said...

Presumably, Brookfield is in discussions with CW. Why would CW continue to rent (to students no less) if they're getting prepared to unload the property? I really don't understand this. Wouldn't it be more valuable to Brookfield (and in turn, CW) the more vacant apartments were here after sale? These apartments could then be sold for market as opposed to offering an insider price. I would expect them to stop renting apartments at this juncture.

Of course, perhaps there really is something more sinister at play here (i.e. the continuing campaign of harassment began by Tishman Spyer and continuing with CW).

This is the Kiss of Death to Brookfield, the TA and Guterman. No way will this dump ever be converted to co-op or condo. It is a Dorm. More and more of the regular renters (both MR/Roberts/RS and longterm RS) will be driven out by the horrendous conditions created by thousands of students living on the property. The wobbly infrastructure, already crumbling, will be totally trashed and the level of maintenance which is already at an all-time low will decrease to virtually none at all. Unless there is some drastic steps taken (and I have no suggestions other than a class action) PCVST is doomed and destined to be nothing more than a filthy, squalid, unsupervised dorm. Wannabe apartment buyers: fughedaboutit! Rose and CW have won the day by outsleazing even the sleaziest of 'em all, i.e. Tishman Speyer! Even they didn't do this much damage!

For one thing, NO ONE ever said that this place was for sale! Since the TA decided to pick its dance partner Rose is pissed off (their mgmt contract gone forever) & will do WHATEVER to maximize the rental income here. Meantime, CWC waits for the real estate market to come back & if the place is not left a condemned, unfixable slum by then, it will AGAIN go to the highest bidder. The TA/Brookfield group can bid along with all others. Same old, same old. OR, things get SO squalid that they knock'em down and put up high rises on their 80 riverfront acres, pay off Fannie & Freddie, make a little $cratch and pat themselves on the back. As for any long timers, we'll either be dead or MCI'd right outta here. *sigh*

BTW, 2000 apartments divided into flexes means not just 4000 students. We're looking at a population spike between 6,000 and 9,000 once roommates, significant others, guests, and visitors are taken into account. In one bathroom units? NO wonder they use the fire stairs! Plus, there's neither the plumbing, electric, or structural capacity (laundry rooms anyone?) to say nothing of the security, maintenance, or service infrastructure or personnel to handle this influx. This Summer is gonna be a long, hot, and bumpy ride! How WILL noise complaints, rug, and QoL issues be handled (since Rose doesn't want us talking to one another to resolve things and they give it lip service yet do NADA!)? The mind reels at the horrors about to unfold!

CWC waits for the real estate market to come back is what we've been saying. Who ever said stpcv is for sale?

Why not maximize rents (still a housing shortage in MNhattan) from residents and commercial spaces and wait it out? Certainly Nyu alone could keep this place full for years to come or>> maybe knock a few buildings down, add a dozen more 'amenities'....

I still want to know who will be held responsible when there is (inevitably) a fire that results in the loss of life and property as a direct result of stuffing the place full of students? Will it be Adam Rose? The school? CW? Who? It's bound to happen. In fact, there already was one fire at 445 E 14. Fortunately, it did not result in loss of life, but personal property was damaged and the culprits were stupid, drunken students. We are all being put in danger by this money-grubbing practice of erecting pressure walls and cramming in as many students as possible.

If it gets too horrible this summer I hope that the TA organizes a rent strike.

LOL...When will people realize there is no TA anymore...there is only the sales department for Brookfield...managed by Dan Garodnick (and his cronies at his law firm), supervised by Al Doyle under the direction of the white knight....LOL!

It's strange and sad how this place went from being a no-frills middle class housing complex that didn't aspire to be anything more or less than that, to being a wanna-be "luxury" complex (under the mismanagement of Rose Round One) with the nudging out of rent stabilized tenants, to becoming a downright nasty battlefield between management and rent stabilized tenants under Tishman Speyer. Now under Rose Round Two we are a dorm that doesn't even pretend to be "luxury" (how could such a claim be made!) still at war with rent stabilized tenants.

While you and I may not like it, there is nothing illegal about NYC landlords renting apartments to students. What Dan G and the TA can do when our landlord rents to students is make sure city codes are followed with regards to converting apartments, and they have already done that.

So taunting Dan G and the TA that they to "get some balls" over this just makes you sound ill-informed. No, make that nasty and stupid and ill-informed.

Clearly the only conversion that would stop these attacks on tenanes would be a co-op conversion. Makes one wonder what the TA board is getting under the table to push this travesty. The TA is no longer part of the solution they are the problem!!!!-

We don't need balls. We're not in a powerful position. We, unfortunately, have to rely on the TA and Garodnick. They're all we have and they're supposed to represent us. They're in positions to do something. We would certainly support their efforts to improve life here instead of destroying it.Residential apartments are for residential tenants. Dorms are for students. Period.In the meantime, we're mighty lucky to have STR so there's at least a place to find out what's going on, speak out, exchange ideas and be heard. Thank you, STR. No thanks to you, Adam R. Rose.

This IS a dorm. No ifs, ands or buts about it. We are inundated by students. There's nothing wrong with the students, but there is a lot wrong with this property being turned into an off-campus dorm. We, "non-student" tenants are being subjected to noise, overcrowding and filthy conditions because Rose Associates is filling up every empty apartment with more residents than the apartments were ever intended to house, we are suffering from noise, filth and the ever-present danger of fire. What can we do about this? If the TA has no suggestions and no plan of action (other than the pie-in-the-sky hope of going condo) they should just disband and refund our annual dues. We are tenants are we are being harassed and subjected to unlivable conditions and the TA does fuck-all.

I gave the last promo some thought, but finally let it through. Not for any reason other than that blog has been promoted enough here (and there's a link to it on the main page). I won't delete these promos, but that's the end of them in the comments.

If it is true that Rose receives a percentage of the rent collected, then they will gorge us with students in that schools pay a premium rent. This arrangement should change (if it is true). Also, can I suggest that we tenants, and our Board, pay greater attention to the suggestions made by Jerry Guterman? It seems to me that the man knows what's talking about.

If it's true that more and more college students are moving in. Each school should provide an on-site RA. Tenants can complain to that poor bastard night and day. That person , just like in the dorms, would be required to take action.

Places like NYU are very sensitive to bad press so if there were large demonstrations here against turning the place into a dormitory, that might have an effect. The Roberts litigation may have an effect. If market raters' rent have to pay a high rent...3000 or more, CW will probably expand the student renting & then go with Brookfield. If the rents go under 2500, CW will probably not expand the student program & go with Guterman.

**Residential apartments are for residential tenants. Dorms are for students. Period.**

Unfortunately that is not true. There is nothing illegal about renting residential apts to full-time students in NYC. Actually, I can't think of anywhere in the USA that outlaws landlords from providing off-campus housing.

However there is a court of public opinion. Resorting to packing in students like sardines in residential units because families cannot afford to pay outrageously high rents and/or because they are unwilling to live in a complex with a bad reputation because approximately 1 in 5 apartments is filled with students makes the landlord look like a dick. And especially considering that there is a critical shortage of middle income housing in NYC. The sort of housing ST-PCV used to provide.

"The only way to reverse the tide of destructive acts started by metlife and continuing with CW capital is for the tenants to take control."

Taking control and taking ownership are two different things. All you get with ownership is responsibility for the financial mess that has been created here.

Take control of the mess first and then and only then do you decide if you want to be on the hook financially.

I find it astonishing the number of people that are "ready to buy" without a single hard fact as to the costs and ongoing responsibilities. These same folks probably wouldn't so much as order a cheeseburger at McD's without full disclosure of the costs and how many fries come along for the ride. Put your thinking hats on, people.

You people seem to be missing the basic facts about business. Where did you determine that CW was choosing between Brookfield and Gutterman? The place is not yet for sale. When it is, they will sell to the highest bidder, as is their obligation. What makes this transaction different from any other? No one cares about memory lane from the 1950's.

FYI: Adam Rose posted on another thread that he'd changed the rules, and security no longer has to invade the privacy of a tenant complaining about neighbor's noise, and will go straight to the offending apartment instead. He said that if the officer can hear the noise by standing outside the noise maker's apartment, there is no longer any need to come inside the home of the individual(s) registering the complaint.

Well, apparently Adam Rose didn't inform security of this new rule, since over the weekend we had to call security three times about the party noise of our student neighbor's apartment, and each time they came up to our apartment and pounded on the door. It was 1:00 AM, and all they had to do was stand outside the students' apartment to hear the horrifically loud noise. In fact, it was so loud, it could be heard in the hallway on OUR floor, yet they still said they needed to come inside our apartment first to check. One officer said I was wrong that the rule had changed, and he'd been working here for 25 years, blah, blah, blah, and he needs to come inside our apartment. Keep in mind that it was after 1:00 AM, and neither my husband and I were dressed.

Anyway, we're learning that reporting these weekly parties to security does little good, since management refuses to take serious action, even after repeated complaints. I think many of these students laugh at visits from security at this point, tell them they'll "keep the noise down" to get the security officer to leave, but don't do a damn thing.

When MetLife suddenly scrapped the waiting list back in 2001, thousands of people who had been hoping to rent in ST were disappointed. Those people would have been good tenants who would have appreciated their apartments, taken care of them, paid their rent and helped maintain the civility of the community. Instead, because of the insatiable greed and short-sightedness of the Benmoishes, Speyers and Roses of this world, the complex is now a filthy, noisy dorm that can probably never be turned around at this point.

In response to " Taking control and taking ownership are two different things. All you get with ownership .I find it astonishing the number of people that are "ready to buy" without a single hard fact as to the costs and ongoing responsibilities."

"Put your thinking hats on, people."

I understand what you are saying here, but I disagree - have you ever owned a coop or condo? It can be complicated and stressful, but no worse than waiting to see what will happen to you at the hands of a monolithic owner or sponser. In a coop or condo, there is a VERY good chance that you will have some say in what is going on (although as in anything the boards can be run by meglomaniacs.)

About the thinking cap -- I am not sure you are giving the tenants of PCVST enoug credit.

We are a thinking people, sometimes TOO cautious what is what stuck us here for 20 years, rather than buying outside while the buying was good.

So now with thought and consideration, we must look towards conversion and find the smartest people possible to go over the financials and figure out how to work this things out. We cannot depend on the Gov't to regulate our situation any longer nor should we.

"Anyway, we're learning that reporting these weekly parties to security does little good, since management refuses to take serious action, even after repeated complaints. I think many of these students laugh at visits from security at this point, tell them they'll "keep the noise down" to get the security officer to leave, but don't do a damn thing.

It's a joke here."

Time to call the 13th Precinct and insist they respond. Maybe a visit from the real cops will make a difference. Also, if you know which school these kids attend, you could file a complaint there. Cops, complaints to school as well as strenuous complaints to Adam Rose himself, may make these little turds realize that they are not the precious little snowflakes their mommies told them they were. They're just run-of-the-mill unsupervised little assholes.

The 13th Precinct won't respond to ST-PCV noise complaints. They will refer you to Security. Besides, the cops can't do much anyway. There are no specific laws on NYC's books about making a racket in an apartment.

That more or less leaves it up to landlords to lay out explicit provisions dealing with noisy neighbors in leases and then to enforce those provisions.

"we must look towards conversion and find the smartest people possible to go over the financials"

I was always told that people that need help investing their money should leave it in the bank.

I live by that rule and have learned what I need to know so that I don't have to rely on the bank.

If you can't figure out what the financials mean then you are likely headed for personal financial trouble. Since we have the luxury of a couple of years before we have to act (if we are even given the chance to act at all), perhaps you should take this time to educate yourself so that YOU are the smartest person. If you don't--and the proposed conversion fails--you will have only yourself to blame and the failure to explain to your family.

It's high time that Adam Rose and his shoddy outfit just withdrew and let a company that is up to the job manage the complex. I think we should petition CW Cap for a change in management. We are paying for services we simply do not have - security and quality of life standards being part of that. When drunken, unsupervised students and/or graduates can violate the rights of other tenants, then it is time for a management company that can take on the challenge and deal with it. We are not living here free of charge, whether we are long-term rent stabilized tenants or the so-called market raters who are paying through the nose, eyes and ears for the "privilege" of living here. If Stuyvesant Town is to become a dorm then let the universities purchase the property and rehouse us tenants. We should not have to put up with violation of our lives.

'if you call the 13th Precinct for anything other than a homicide they'll bounce the call back to security.'

Sure, if you call the 13th pct and tell them there's a noisy party going on they will bounce it back to security. However, if you tell them there is a rave going on that you believe involves drugs, alcohol and underage kids whose welfare may be in danger, they will have to respond. You will likely be right on the mark too.

>>It's high time that Adam Rose and his shoddy outfit just withdrew and let a company that is up to the job manage the complex. I think we should petition CW Cap for a change in management. We are paying for services we simply do not have - security and quality of life standards being part of that.<<

I don't see any other company coming in here and doing things better, at least with the amount of money that CW (or whichever entity winds up owning this place) places aside for a management company to run ST/PCV.

I've stated this before, but the BEST I've seen this place look was when MetLife was preparing it for sale. Everything was immaculate, and the Oval area was a garden feast (this before any amenities came in and before dogs would be continually pissing or taking a crap five feet away from where you sat). Sitting around the Oval, I would at times forget I was in the city, but think myself in some luxurious tropical paradise. True! Rose Associates was managing the place at the time. For sure, we will not see a return to that idyllic paradise, because much has changed, but it's still a memory I have.

And you have to admit that at least Adam Rose has made himself accessible to tenants, unlike the previous management under Tishman Speyer.

Thank you for the advice! Actually, after the third time security visited the students' party and it did little good to stop the noise, security did recommend we call the NYPD. They said that they WILL respond. I just hate to bug the real cops over something so stupid.

"Sure, if you call the 13th pct and tell them there's a noisy party going on they will bounce it back to security. However, if you tell them there is a rave going on that you believe involves drugs, alcohol and underage kids whose welfare may be in danger, they will have to respond. You will likely be right on the mark too."

Agreed! There was something in the news today about the underage drinking in New York has gotten out of control and the cops need to crack down on it. They should come and patrol Stuyvesant Town on Friday and Saturday nights and they will many, many underage drinkers absolutely drunk out of their skulls.

I suspect a nice percentage of underage drinking is done by kids whose parents have been RS for a while and NOT the transient college students.>>

What makes you think that, STR? I have to disagree with you. Have you never seen nor heard the groups of college kids weaving their way home in the early hours of Saturday and Sunday mornings? They are very, very drunk, loud and obnoxious. Most of them are underage too unless the drinking age has been lowered to younger than 21. I realize that a good many of the drunks around here are over the drinking age (just), but there are still a lot of younger kids getting legless in and out of the dorms. I don't think that the kids of the long term RS renters are living in those subdivided apartments en masse. Those tend to be the students.

“I suspect a nice percentage of underage drinking is done by kids whose parents have been RS for a while and NOT the transient college students.”

I respectively disagree. With the drinking age raised to 21, what this has encouraged, in my opinion, is massive binge drinking. This is done by the transient college crowd since the population of HS-College age children of RS tenants here is rapidly shrinking as is the elderly (mostly now widows of the Greatest Generation). The just post bachelor degree and graduate level transient crowd (legal drinking age), mostly rubes, are just as guilty. As I have posted once before, one can count with one hand the number of true families that are tenants in each building these days. By the way, Saint Patrick’s Day is on a Saturday this year. Be afraid, be very afraid. Back in the day, the damage was limited to mid-town and Murray Hill. The joy of seeing a high school girl throwing up on 6th Avenue was a sight to behold. Now the Frat Boys and the OMG girls have made this day, Like Santacon, their own. Look out for packs of 18-25’s screaming and throwing up all day and into the night on 3/17.

to 920 You are warning about financial troubles now - that is getting a bit personal no? I am in good enough shape financially becasue I understand trends in real esate. If you don't want to do a conversion - fine, but to be snarky becasue I think the financials should be looked at by other than little old me is absurd. Of course I will look, but I could not be the final word on them. Crack a book? In what? How to avoid cyberbullies?

The reason we (the first generation of original tenants) couldn't walk screaming through the Oval in the middle of the night was because if security reported us to the office, and they told our parents, we would have gotten our asses kicked.

The reason it is out of control now, if because all these kids have parents who live far, far away.

Perhaps each pressure wall lease should come with an ass kicking rider.

I'm not bullying you. I'm just suggesting that you have little or no financial acumen and are looking to lay off the risk of your bad decisions on an "expert" to be named later. That's an ignorant approach to making important decisions. (FYI, ignorant refers to a lack of knowledge--not an accusation of stupidity so please spare us all the follow-up retort).

As for the book to crack, if I were you, I would start with finance 101. You probably also need to familiarize yourself with CMBS, general corporate & RE finance and finish up with some basic understanding of tax law.

You can call me snarky but, if you actually do some meaningful research, you could save yourself a lot of financial heartache.

Perhaps not underage drinking, but some of the noisiest "youths" around here at night are kids from local public and Catholic schools. This has been true for as long as I've lived here, 20 years plus.>>

Maybe that is the case, STR. However, we are mostly concerned here (I think) with the rave parties that go on in the buildings and keep [non-rave] tenants up all night. The parties in the dorm apartments are what really concern me. These are the underage (and barely of age) kids congregating to drink, smoke weed and whatever else way into the wee hours and blast their music without any concern for neighbors who might want to sleep. Apart from the sheer annoyance this boorish behavior creates there is the ever-present danger of fire. These kids with their beer pongs, smokes, etc., are too stoned/boozed out of their minds to be able to exercise good judgment. Maybe I harp on this a bit, but it really, really worries me that we are going to have a horrible tragedy unless something is done about these underage, unsupervised kids boozing and getting high in the chopped up cubicle apartments. We have already had one serious fire because of such behavior by such "tenants" and we are just a Saturday night away from something worse. I will always call the cops when this goes on and they had better come because I am not going to stand aside and see my family and myself and our home go up in flames or smoke damage because of these loony twits and our ever money-grubbing landlord/management. I think it would be a good idea for the FDNY to come round and inspect each and every one of these dorm/cubicle apartments that Rose is renting out. I hope each and every one of you has good renters' insurance to cover your valuables when the inevitable happens. Won't bring back the lost and maimed lives though.

You have no idea of my financial situation, you do no know me and my comments have not been detailed enough for you acertain the truth about me. I will now ask you not to address me in any way as this is a really meaningless exchange. We do not know who each other is so it is futile to even try to communicate.

Lulz at "Raves" and "these kids with their beer pongs." I'm just responding to this on the "internets", it's a series of tubes.

Young people need to be more considerate of their neighbors especially during late mid week hours; I would be annoyed at people partying at 2 AM on Tuesday as well. But long time RS tenants need to also be realistic, you are living in the East Village, which is currently the most desirable neighborhood for young people in the city. You are BLESSED (I wish I could bold and underline that word) with a large cheap apartment that this generation of "transients" that you rail against will never be able to acquire. We all get that there are some QOL issues that need to be addressed but relax for second and appreciate that you've essentially won the lottery when it comes to Manhattan rentals.

"STUDENT TOWN" is the cover story in this weeks Town & Village. The founder of mystudentspartment.com talks at length about his new business and washes his hands of any responsibility with regards to the quality of life issues that come with housing thousands of students in apartment buildings. Notably absent are quotes from Adam Rose and Andrew MacArthur or Dan Garodnick. Get ready for a wild summer.

Really. Having grown up lived here my entire life, I can remeber when there was no such thing as teh East Village and when Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village were considered to be the desirable areas in which to live (years long waiting list etc.) These neighbor hood designations for our community are quite malleable marketing ploys depending upon what is perceived to be "hot" and the age demographic the owner seeks to attract. A very few short years ago, TS said we were in Gramercy or next to Gramercy. The fact of the matter is that ST and PCV were built to be quiet, residential communities for families - not a transiet dormitory like hot spot.

By the way, the long time rent stabilized tenants who made this place an attractive community have not won the lotttery. The real lottery winners were MetLife who got it on the cheap with a guaranteed 6% rate of return (pretty attractive then and now) and sold it for close to $6 Billion.

If Adam Rose would just enforce the goddam carpeting rules a lot of us would be willing and able to accept the dorm that this has become. When you have to listen to heavy, high-heeled and booted footsteps going over your head at all times of the day and night you feel like the SS is going through the building relentlessly. What's wrong with taking off the fucking heels and/or putting down a carpet? If Adam had to listen to this stamping of footsteps in his own home, he would be more sympathetic to those of us who complain about that. The woo-hooing, oinking and braying is part of the problem, but the gestapo-like footsteps cracking overhead at all times is enough to drive a person over the edge. I think I am going over that edge as I listen to my upstairs neighbors jackbooting around right now and know it will go on for most of the night. This is NOT what we should have to endure in our homes that we are paying good money to rent and just want to live in peacefully. The bare floors are a major problem in STPCV because the floors are so thin and unfloated. The hell with the fancy parquet. It sucks!

My god, this is a community of incredibly whiney people. The long time residents act like such ridiculous children.

Really, it's communal living. You hear neighbors. It's a fact of life. I would love to hear details of these "raves.". Do you even know what that word means? I highly doubt they have ever happened. In reality, it was probably a drinks party for 10 or 15 adults, but the insanely quick-to-complain long time residents in this so-called-community are eager to blow everything out of proportion. Sigh... You're all rather pathetic.

Anony 6.07 PM is the voice of the demographic that TS and now CW Capital/Rose is marketing this once fine community to. I have responded to these trolls over and over again but the key phrase of this fly over state OMG generation person is “communal living”. The poster is your typical transient tenant who never saw the Ke$ha party tread in the old Lux Living blog. Lux taped that horror and posted it on his blog. The narcissism of this poster is breathtaking. Thanks STR for letting it through.

"Communal Living!" Is that what you call this, you rube? Go back to your hayseed home and leave us New Yorkers alone! This is supposed to be "apartment living," not communal living. Apartment living is for grown-ups who can pay their rent (without help from mommy and daddy), be self-sufficient, gainfully employed adults who know how to live without disrespecting their neighbors and expect the same level of respect in return. What a total ass you are!

So now we are East Village and hip. I remember in the not-too-distant past, in the days when Stuyvesant Town was a green and peaceful residential community before it became a shitty dorm on a brownfield of mud, dog shit and cigarette butts, what you call the East Village was known as Alphabet City and was infamous for being saturated with drugs and crime. I think the real East Village was further south and a bit more west. I don't miss the drugs and squalor of Alphabet City. How could I? It moved here!

2/26 10:55 a.m.RUBE??? HAYSEED?? What are you talking about? I'm a freaking NEW YORKER, as much, if not MORE THAN YOU. And to echo that other poster, do you even know what a rave is? Are there three thousand people all dancing for three days straight in a big room to techno-trance music taking loads of ecstasy?

It's a PARTY. We all have them. You used to when you were young. Don't lie, yes, you did. I'm having one in a month myself for a big birthday--maybe almost as old as you. Several dozen people, mostly aging professionals and hipsters like me. It may go all the way to, eek, 11 p.m. or even, midnight on a Saturday night! Chill.

It's not hyperbole, it's reality. Rave may not be the correct term, but if you'd care to coin a term for 30 people partying until 4am, pissing in the stairwells because there's only one bathroom and creating plumes of smoke when they go outside en masse to smoke, please, we're all ears. Until then, we're sticking with rave.

You people are completely childish. Far more childish than the children you so despise. They are polite and light, you are rude and sour. And I will be having 50 people in my apartment. What business is it of yours? Seriously, if the party is done before midnight on a weekend and no one is smoking or peeing, you really have to get over it. I can't believe you people are my neighbors. Literally, watching and plotting against everyone one else's enjoyment. What a way to live.

To 3:01 pm: That is not the kind of party we complain about. The kind of party we complain about are the ones that go on until 3 or 4 in the morning and involve loud music, lots of shouting, hooting and braying and people spilling out into the halls smoking and relieving themselves in the stairwells. Your party sounds quite reasonable. Don't be so quick to judge your neighbors and we won't be so quick to judge you. Nobody is saying that tenants here can't have a Saturday night party with a lot of people attending and leaving around midnite or shortly thereafter. That is not the kind of thing we are complaining about and you know it. What the students do on a regular basis is have boozy, noisy parties several times a week and cause a lot of disruption and nasty "leftovers." I hope you enjoy the party you are planning.

Really? I don't believe you. I don't believe that none of you have held a cocktail party in a 2 or 3 bedroom that had upwards to 50 people invited. I just don't believe you. You are lying to make a point. There are professors here, and publishers and all kinds of people who have cocktail parties. Not just bitter, lonely shut-ins with no friends.

Just for the record, there are also very noisy one bedroom apartments in our building housing families (not only students) our neighbors are a grandma, a grandpa a mom and her kid. serious fighting and screaming from them day and night. another apartment is a single parent and 4 kids in a one bedroom. a fricken nightmare. yeah.

I'm amazed at how bad the floor - ceiling - walls are. I can hear our neighbors pcv every word if i want to. No problem with this ofcourse, but when the music starts, it's HHELL.>>>>

ST and PCV were built immediately post-WWII and building materials were in short supply. I think that the only apartment buildings that are really soundproof and well insulated are those built before WWII. After that, everything was just spit and cardboard!

Im not even in college, and Im a serious renter with my family. But come on, everyone here is so whiny. They pay all this money and once in a while have parties, its not EVERY DAY or every weekend. i have walked around Stuyvesant town at night EVERY friday and saturday and I don't hear a thing. Instead of calling security on the kids, how about you ask them nicely to leave. Like civilized people, instead of hiding behind your "special security force". which by the way are very unprofessional. My son was caught with a small amount of marijuana sitting outside, not smoking, but I was still upset. ANyways the officer repeatedly cursed at them saying "I got you you f****r!!! your f****d!" also making fun of his friend (who is on crutches) and calling my son short, and saying he is 4"2, and that he is "f*****g short" (my son is 14 and 5 foot). This is absurd. If a kid is smoking pot in your stairwell, don't call security, just ask them to leave I assure you it will turn out better, because a child's reckless actions can get the parents in trouble. My son however has learned his lesson. I explained when he is 18 and goes to college i will approve. Pot is not harmful but for him at this age it is. have this same attitude towards others just having a good time.

Hall of Shame Award to CWCapital from Stuy Town And Peter Cooper Village Tenants

Awarded for the Roberts Settlement Massacre, in which many tenants received mid-lease rent increases from hundreds to over a thousand dollars, compelling tenants to examine the need to move out with their families at short notice. Doubly awarded for the Oval Park Massacre, in which healthy trees were cut down and plantings viciously uprooted to make way for an institutionalized look of order.

Thinking of Renting in PCVST?

Read Yelp reviews to find out what it's like living here.

Banned Dog Breeds in Stuy Town

Cute rottweiler. But... looks like there is some difficulty in enforcing the ban on certain dog breeds allowed inside Stuy Town/Peter Cooper Village. Somehow pitbulls and pitbull mixes have been registered in STPCV and are allowed to be freely walked about the grounds! Another fail of enforcing the rules around here? You decide!

Follow by Email

Stuyvesant Town Newsreel

Read it and Weep

Current Value of ST/PCV

Was 5.4 Billion Dollars when Tishman Speyer bought the place.Became 1.7 Billion Dollars when Tishman Speyer left, with their tail between their legs.Current estimate? Over 2 Billion?

Ex-landlord

Rob Speyer

1947 Stuy Town Plaque Honoring Met Life Chairman F.H. Ecker (Removed in 2002 and never seen again)

"... who with the vision of experience and the energy of youth conceived and brought into being this project, and others like it, that families of moderate means might live in health, comfort and dignity in park-like communities and that a pattern might be set of private enterprise productively devoted to public service."

Co-op/Condo Conversions

Non-Eviction Conversion:
Requires commitment from purchasers for 15% of the apartments. Both rent regulated and market rate tenants are given the opportunity to purchase. Rent regulated tenants cannot be evicted because they choose not to buy. However, the owner is not required to offer a lease renewal to market-rate tenants.
Eviction Conversion:
Requires written commitment from 51% of the tenants in occupancy. All tenants are given the opportunity to purchase. Those who choose not to can be evicted. For rent stabilized tenants who choose not to purchase, they can be evicted within 3 years after the plan is declared effective. However, rent stabilized tenants who are disabled or senior citizens are exempt from eviction. Market rate tenants can be evicted at the end of their lease. Less likely conversion tactic. [The TA insists that any plan they support will be non-eviction.]

I am writing on behalf of everyone at Tishman Speyer to express how honored we are to become part of your outstanding community. We are a business with deep roots in New York, a true love of our city and a great respect for the neighborhoods that make it special. We are committed to maintaining the unique character and environment that have made Peter Cooper Village and Stuyvesant Town such a wonderful place to live for so long. We look forward to providing you an extraordinary level of service and attentiveness that will be the source of pride and satisfaction for the entire community.

Neighborhood Recommendations

New to Stuy Town/Peter Cooper Village? Here are some basic recommendations.

Best supermarket: Associated on 14th St. between 1st Ave. and Ave A. The cheapest prices, fantastic weekly sales, very affordable lunches; solid, responsive management. Some of the young female cashiers have attitude to spare, though. May be too far for Peter Cooper residents.

Best deli: A Stuy Town favorite is Lenz's on 20 St. between the 20 St. Loop. The way New York used to be. Be careful of unwanted "pepper" in your food, however. Lenz's has a B grade rating and was temporarily closed down due to an order from the Health Department. Bruno's on First Avenue is more upscale, with a greater selection of food items (higher-priced, too), but was closed down by the Health Department in June.

Best post office: Forget it! The post office on 14th St. is generally a nightmare, with long lines and, now, even shorter hours.

Disappointments:

The Stuy Town Starbucks on First Ave. is not very cozy, and the music in the morning is too loud and uptempo. Gently awaken the souls off to work....

More recommendations to come!

Macular Degeneration Support Group

If you are currently diagnosed with Macular Degeneration, the New York Eye & Ear Infirmary is offering a support group for you. Conveniently located next to the Peter Cooper Village Stuyvesant Town apartment complex, our group offers the opportunity to share stories with other members, listen to expert guest speakers, and learn coping strategies to reduce stress. Our group runs on the first Wednesday of every month and we would enjoy seeing you there.
Please contact Baptiste Nicolas, Social Work Assistant at 212-979-4105 for further information and to see if this group is right for you!